Author Archives: Will
College Admissions and the Commodification of Experience
The academic social-media-o-sphere has been abuzz for the past couple of weeks with discussion of William Deresiewicz’s piece in the New Republic entitled “Don’t Send Your Kid to the Ivy League.” The piece was an obvious piece of clickbait (as Salon put … Continue reading
Posted in Historian in the World
Tagged Academia, Higher Education, History, Tourism
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LOLmstead: 19th Century Landscape Design and Penises
This tumblr has been making the social media rounds among my running friends, and it’s easy to see why, because it’s brilliant. A copywriter named Claire Wycokoff has been using the run tracking feature of her Nike+ to draw … Continue reading
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Dormer-on-a-Crane
This post is the sequel to last December’s “Columns-n-a-crate,” which are both part of the great series entitled Virginia Architectural Pastiches. The new Campus Center is getting its dormers lowered on with a crane. Must have been acquired at Antebellum Greek Revival Features-R-Us.
Reflections on #SHEAR14
I just returned home from my most digitally enhanced annual meeting of the Society for Historians of the Early American Republic (SHEAR) yet, so it only makes sense that I capture my reflections on that experience in digital form. As … Continue reading
Posted in Digital Life, Historian in the World
Tagged Digital Humanities, dooo, fi, Philadelphia, SHEAR, twitter
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Tantalizing Title of the Week
Thomas Gordon, A Gazetteer of the State of New Jersey: Comprehending a General View of Its Physical and Moral Condition, Together with a Topographical and Statistical Account of Its Counties, Towns, Villages, Canals, Rail Roads, &c., Accompanied by a Map … Continue reading
The Great Tim’s Mart Scavenger Hunt
This post goes out to Fredericksburgers, history buffs, online sleuths, and students who could use a little bit of cash. A scavenger hunt is on. The building housing Tim’s Mart at 1010 Caroline Street in downtown Fredericksburg is for sale, and the city’s … Continue reading
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The Politics of Trigger Warnings
Up until now, I’ve avoided weighing in on the debate about “trigger warnings” that has been raging across the humanities. The debate, as I understand it, is over whether or not professors and other pedagogues are responsible for warning students and other … Continue reading
Welcoming Us Home
It’s been two weeks since Brian and I got married, and a little over a week and a half since we returned to Virginia from where we got married in New York. We went back north to get married because … Continue reading
A Very Special Virginia Anti-Marriage Equality Argument
David Cohen in Slate has brought word of what he calls “The Worst Argument Ever Made Against Gay Marriage,” made last week before the Fourth Circuit in Richmond. The occasion was the state’s appeal of the Eastern District of Virginia’s decision … Continue reading
Silicon Valley: World Headquarters of Doublespeak
Although Orwell never used the term “doublespeak” (he preferred the more insidious “doublethink”), the term has become indelibly associated in the modern day with the dystopian totalitarian future of his classic novel 1984. In its common usage, “doublespeak” refers to any … Continue reading
